Humans since ages have been wanderers in search of better life.We Bangalore ASCENDers are a group of sober trekkers who have urban settlements but wander in search of wilderness and in the process are not averse to conquer heights. This amalgamation of wilderness and heights makes the journey all the more interesting and adventurous.Come be a part of these adventures and stimulate your wild instincts.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Posted by
Jinu John
on
Saturday, October 10, 2009
11:12 PM
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Googling has become a favorite hobby of mine and while doing so chanced upon two words Suvarnamukhi and Thottikallu falls.Tried to search more about these places, but could not find any information and ended up laying my hands on a single photo of Thottikallu falls also called as TK falls from Google Earth. This photo did not show any signs of water and to add more confusion it was marked at more than two different places on Google Earth. So just thought why not to explore these places on our own, also clubbed the plan to explore a huge valley along the Harohalli-Jigani route just on the outskirts of Bannerghatta national park (BNP).Despite the fact that BNP has many valleys only a couple of basic routes are open for trekking.

In the pursuit of finding clear water pools in the valley and to explore lesser known TK falls, we foursome from Bangalore ASCENDers started off on the dawn of 10th October. After some traffic chaos we all met directly at Bannerghatta junction, here we had breakfast at a small darshini. Over hot idli-vadas and steaming cup of coffee, we chatted and got to know one another as we were meeting for the first time. Later on took some lunch parcels and moved on. When enquired with locals for directions to the waterfall they seemed to be clueless. So without any further adduce we took right deviation and started to the falls. From the junction one can continue straight to reach BNP; left deviation goes to Jigani and Anekal and the right deviation will take you to the TK falls.

Roads are in such a bad shape that even commuting in SUV’s can leave the commuters in agony. In-between will find some decent patches of road. After 5kms one crosses a small pond and here’s the deviation to Suvarnamukhi on the left side of the road. one can park vehicles here and take a small trek to the Suvarnamukhi temple built on the top of a small hill over-looking BNP; here’s a small kalyani, nothing much to explore though a small trial from here will take one to the temples situated on the Bannerghatta hill.We came back and started off again to the falls; continuing further for 2 kms one can find a sign board with an arrow indicating to deviate right on the muddy road;after 50mtrs or so forms a T-junction continue straight further down from this junction to meet a larger road and then take a right deviation this will take one to a small temple; here one can park vehicles;a small trial from here will take you to the base of the falls.Right-turn from the junction will take one to the depilated buildings on a hill now been used as the parking lots by the visitors.Be care-full as some of the village-brats steal petrol here; also sometimes local women harass visitors by demanding parking charges, especially when female folks are in the group.

From here a rugged path leads to the valley; further going left on this path will take one to the bottom of the falls. And to our surprise we saw a huge waterfall which we did not expect at all. The deep, wide pools at the bottom and the back-stream of the falls with its wide and expansive surroundings make them exciting swimming pools, besides being an ideal picnic spot. We had a refreshing bath; the water gurgling through the rocks onto the bodies, drowns away mobile beeps and the din of the city.It’s right from a picture postcard and is a must-see, being so close to BNP for its awe-inspiring natural beauty. It also can be a wholesome family experience; at the falls bonding with the family takes place at a deeper level. Waterfall is no less alluring as it tumbles and plunges right into the pools and is an image to behold especially during monsoons.

Visit TK falls revive your jaded spirits and feel rejuvenated.

Clock was ticking 12 and we had many things on the platter; soon we came back to the deviation and headed towards Harohalli on the Kanakpura road after passing through Kaggalipura.After around 25kms we reached the valley but were truly disappointed when we could not see any water in the valley.Hunger pangs were ripping our stomachs apart and thus we stepped into a small village bus-stop and gorged the parceled vegetable Palov.

We had few more hours of day-light left hence decided to visit Bannerghatta national park. After sometime we could see ourselves lined up in a queue for the Grand Jungle safari and later on were ushered in a small van to tour the park. This park is spread over a 100 square kilometer, has thick thorny undergrowth and dry deciduous forest teeming with many animals. But the Tiger/Lion safari is most sought-after where the big cats roam free and peer at you quite close by. This date with untamed companions merely lasted for about an hour and then we wandered around the zoo, spent some time speculating on family dynamics of these animals and talking about the interaction between the species.

At last we returned with breadth-taking frames of the journey that just can’t be described in words.

Travel tips: TK falls is around 7 kms from the Bannerghatta Junction.And around 32 kms from Majestic. It’s an ephemeral water fall and needs to be visited just after monsoon and before December. Avoid Sunday’s as the local crowd will be more. Public transport is not available to the falls. At BNP the Grand safari is the best one at 120/-,and zoo is a must visit for kids. Volvo bus services by BMTC are available from Majestic to Bannerghatta national parkand back. Good restaurants/resorts are available on the periphery of the park. Check out the Route-Map.

Googling has become a favorite hobby of mine and while doing so chanced upon two words Suvarnamukhi and Thottikallu falls.Tried to search more about these places, but could not find any information and ended up laying my hands on a single photo of Thottikallu falls also called as TK falls from Google Earth. This photo did not show any signs of water and to add more confusion it was marked at more than two different places on Google Earth. So just thought why not to explore these places on our own, also clubbed the plan to explore a huge valley along the Harohalli-Jigani route just on the outskirts of Bannerghatta national park (BNP).Despite the fact that BNP has many valleys only a couple of basic routes are open for trekking.

In the pursuit of finding clear water pools in the valley and to explore lesser known TK falls, we foursome from Bangalore ASCENDers started off on the dawn of 10th October. After some traffic chaos we all met directly at Bannerghatta junction, here we had breakfast at a small darshini. Over hot idli-vadas and steaming cup of coffee, we chatted and got to know one another as we were meeting for the first time. Later on took some lunch parcels and moved on. When enquired with locals for directions to the waterfall they seemed to be clueless. So without any further adduce we took right deviation and started to the falls. From the junction one can continue straight to reach BNP; left deviation goes to Jigani and Anekal and the right deviation will take you to the TK falls.

Roads are in such a bad shape that even commuting in SUV’s can leave the commuters in agony. In-between will find some decent patches of road. After 5kms one crosses a small pond and here’s the deviation to Suvarnamukhi on the left side of the road. one can park vehicles here and take a small trek to the Suvarnamukhi temple built on the top of a small hill over-looking BNP; here’s a small kalyani, nothing much to explore though a small trial from here will take one to the temples situated on the Bannerghatta hill.We came back and started off again to the falls; continuing further for 2 kms one can find a sign board with an arrow indicating to deviate right on the muddy road;after 50mtrs or so forms a T-junction continue straight further down from this junction to meet a larger road and then take a right deviation this will take one to a small temple; here one can park vehicles;a small trial from here will take you to the base of the falls.Right-turn from the junction will take one to the depilated buildings on a hill now been used as the parking lots by the visitors.Be care-full as some of the village-brats steal petrol here; also sometimes local women harass visitors by demanding parking charges, especially when female folks are in the group.

From here a rugged path leads to the valley; further going left on this path will take one to the bottom of the falls. And to our surprise we saw a huge waterfall which we did not expect at all. The deep, wide pools at the bottom and the back-stream of the falls with its wide and expansive surroundings make them exciting swimming pools, besides being an ideal picnic spot. We had a refreshing bath; the water gurgling through the rocks onto the bodies, drowns away mobile beeps and the din of the city.It’s right from a picture postcard and is a must-see, being so close to BNP for its awe-inspiring natural beauty. It also can be a wholesome family experience; at the falls bonding with the family takes place at a deeper level. Waterfall is no less alluring as it tumbles and plunges right into the pools and is an image to behold especially during monsoons.

Visit TK falls revive your jaded spirits and feel rejuvenated.

Clock was ticking 12 and we had many things on the platter; soon we came back to the deviation and headed towards Harohalli on the Kanakpura road after passing through Kaggalipura.After around 25kms we reached the valley but were truly disappointed when we could not see any water in the valley.Hunger pangs were ripping our stomachs apart and thus we stepped into a small village bus-stop and gorged the parceled vegetable Palov.

We had few more hours of day-light left hence decided to visit Bannerghatta national park. After sometime we could see ourselves lined up in a queue for the Grand Jungle safari and later on were ushered in a small van to tour the park. This park is spread over a 100 square kilometer, has thick thorny undergrowth and dry deciduous forest teeming with many animals. But the Tiger/Lion safari is most sought-after where the big cats roam free and peer at you quite close by. This date with untamed companions merely lasted for about an hour and then we wandered around the zoo, spent some time speculating on family dynamics of these animals and talking about the interaction between the species.

At last we returned with breadth-taking frames of the journey that just can’t be described in words.

Travel tips: TK falls is around 7 kms from the Bannerghatta Junction.And around 32 kms from Majestic. It’s an ephemeral water fall and needs to be visited just after monsoon and before December. Avoid Sunday’s as the local crowd will be more. Public transport is not available to the falls. At BNP the Grand safari is the best one at 120/-,and zoo is a must visit for kids. Volvo bus services by BMTC are available from Majestic to Bannerghatta national parkand back. Good restaurants/resorts are available on the periphery of the park. Check out the Route-Map.

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Bangalore ASCENDers is a group of outdoor buffs and nature lovers, freaking out conquering peaks, traversing valleys, crossing crystal clear streams, drenching in rains and camping under bright stars. We engage our weekend’s in trekking, fun outings with special kids, adventure sports, cycling, biking, rock climbing, countryside travelling, wildlife photography and being part of eco-conservation drives and other social initiatives.
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